No plans to switch federations as of now, says Abhimanyu Mishra

American Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra said on November 10, 2026 in Budapest, at the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot, that he has no current plans to switch federations and that reports suggesting otherwise were a misunderstanding.

Abhimanyu told The Hindu on the sidelines of the event that his earlier remarks had been misinterpreted and were framed around a hypothetical scenario. “Actually, this was a huge miscommunication. Essentially, as of now, I don’t want to switch federations at all,” he said, adding that his hypothetical response — that he might consider a switch — “does not mean that I’m searching to change federation at all currently.”

He described supplementing his income by playing simultaneous exhibitions, saying these sessions involved facing several opponents, could last hours and were tiring. “And I was getting some money out of that, which was helping a bit,” he said.

In Budapest, Mishra has been drawn in Group C alongside Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Haik M. Martirosyan and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. The 24-player event combines blitz, rapid and Fast Classic formats, and the knockouts will test players across all three speeds.

Mishra said the opportunity to play Magnus Carlsen twice in the tournament was especially appealing and described those games as a source of joy and a learning experience. “I mean, saying no to a tournament like this is a bit ridiculous, honestly,” he said.

He will face each opponent twice in the Fast Classic group stage as part of the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot in Budapest.